The Writing Gym England Retreat
September 10-15, 2023
Live The Author Lifestyle
Join us for a writing event like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.
You struggle to find the time to write, away from distraction, to find the inspiration to get the writing done and get it done well.
Wait no more.
Write in the luxury of a country Manor House on the edge of Exmoor, a national park famous for its beautiful coastline and spectacular views.
“It’s a place where you can leave all of your responsibilities back home, and just be the writer.” – Participant
If you want to be writer, this where you need to be.
You’ll write every morning in a group guided salon, led by seasoned writing coach Annalisa Parent.
Spend 5 days and nights getting inspiration from these expansive vistas, while enjoying home-cooked meals made from local ingredients.
And, of course, how could any British retreat be complete without afternoon tea?
What is it like to write with Annalisa?
Here at the Writing Gym we believe that every writing experience should integrate your body and mind, to bring you into a place of full inspiration.
Afternoons will be spent working on your novel or getting inspiration in the local countryside. Each participant also gets a 1-1 session with Annalisa AND a one-hour bodywork session.
We limit our retreats to 6 participants to create a safe, nurturing space in which your writing can flourish and you can experience true community.
Retreat Location - Devon, England
Knapp House sits on the edge of Exmoor in Devon, a National Park, famous for spectacular moorland, beautiful coastline and hidden valleys.
It is this stunning landscape that inspired the most famous of the early Romantic poets and writers such as Coleridge and Wordsworth whose work Lyrical Ballads was conceived on one of their favourite walks through the Valley of the Rocks on the North Exmoor coast.
Here Coleridge worked on two of his most famous poems, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan.
In a second wave of Romantic writers Percy Bysshe Shelley set up home in Lynton to work and R.D. Blackmore wrote his famous story of Exmoor “Lorna Doone”, which has never been out of print since it was published in 1869. This had huge critical acclaim and was chosen by male students at Yale in 1906 as their favourite novel.
Knapp House has a history all of its own. It was built as a sporting lodge for weekend shooting and hunting parties by an industrialist at the beginning of the 20th Century.
The house is built in the Art and Crafts style made famous by William Morris. It was a private house until it was requisitioned during the war to rehouse a group of London schoolboys who were being evacuated. After the war the son of the original owner turned it into a boy’s prep school which ran until the late 1960’s.
More recently it has returned to being a private home with holiday accommodation in the wings of the house.
Write and be Nurtured
The Writing Day
Each day begins
with a writing salon.
What is writing salon? It is a feedback-response process based on neuroscience and how the brain learns and creates best.
Participants have been known to write for days after just one session. Because you will be using your brain the way it was meant to be used, rather than running a marathon backwards.
You will find your writing will advance quickly, and your confidence will skyrocket.
Afternoons writing and feedback.
At the retreat you will also have afternoons to work on your writing in quiet, to gain inspiration from the acres of woods and gardens surrounding the manor, and to get professional feedback on your writing from professional writing coach, Annalisa Parent.
Retreat Preparation
We will also have one ONLINE writing salon for retreat participants before we go so that you can get to know one another before the retreat.
Sample Schedule
Highlights
Sunday – Travel to the retreat on a beautiful train ride through the English countryside. And enjoy upper in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients. Click here to see a Sample Menu.
Monday – Thursday – Enjoy breakfast and dinner at Knapp House featuring fresh local ingredients. The mornings are dedicated to the Writing Salon and afternoons are filled with more writing, local excursions, and pampering.
Friday & Saturday – On Friday after the final morning Writing Salon we’ll depart for London in the afternoon. And on Saturday there is an optional tour of London as we prepare to return home after a week of remarkable writing.
Sunday
Enjoy a beautiful train ride through the English countryside from London to Tiverton Parkway Station.*
Collection and transportation to Knapp House.
Enjoy a warm welcome with tea and coffee and a chance to settle into the accommodation before supper.
Supper in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients. Click here to see a Sample Menu
Opening session & first writing salon
Monday
A morning Writing salon held in the comfort of the main sitting room in the house.
A light lunch and then writing time with the chance to enjoy the gardens or the sitting rooms in the individual holiday apartments. Reiki sessions and one-on-ones with Annalisa will take place during this time.
Supper in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
Writers’ Discussion in the evening
Tuesday
Breakfast in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
A morning writing salon held in the comfort of the main sitting room in the house.
Leave Knapp House at 12 noon for a “Romantic Poets” excursion to see the coastline that inspired Coleridge. You will cross Exmoor and have a chance to take in the spectacular scenery. Lunch in Lynmouth (not included but we can book a table in a local pub for the party)
The afternoon will be spent with visits to The Valley of the Rocks and the Lyn Valley before heading to Porlock and then back to Knapp House.
Supper in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
Writers’ Discussion in the evening
Wednesday
Breakfast in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
A morning writing salon held in the comfort of the main sitting room in the house.
Lunch at Knapp House
Writing time with the chance to enjoy the gardens or the sitting rooms in the individual holiday apartments. Bodywork sessions and one-on-ones with Annalisa will take place during this time.
OPTIONAL: afternoon visit to Dulverton, a traditional Exmoor village with lovely gift shops and plenty of places to have afternoon tea.
Supper in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
Writers’ Discussion in the evening
Thursday
Breakfast in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
A morning writing salon held in the comfort of the main sitting room in the house.
Leave Knapp House at 12.30 for a visit to the town of Dunster. This is an opportunity to visit the Exmoor National Park Centre and learn more about the history of the romantic poets and their connections with Exmoor. There are plenty of places for lunch (not included) and some may wish to visit Dunster Castle which is owned by the National Trust. This is a Gothic Victorian house with lovely gardens.
Return to Knapp House
Supper at The London Inn at Molland. This is a beamed, traditional Exmoor pub set in a village on the Moors which is still privately owned. It’s a great chance to experience “real” Exmoor hospitality.
Friday
Breakfast in the main house. British fare made from fresh local ingredients.
A morning writing salon held in the comfort of the main sitting room in the house.
Lunch at Knapp House
Free time and preparations to leave
Depart.
Saturday - London
Optional Group Literary Tour of LONDONRegistration
The investment in your writing future includes:
- Single Room with a KING BED (or 2 twins)
- housing
- meals as noted
- excursions
- body work session
- treatments
- 1-1 sessions
- all salons
Transportation to the Manor House is not included.